India successfully test fires Barak-8 missile

Bhubaneswar, Sep 20 (IANS) India on Tuesday successfully test-fired the Barak-8 surface-to-air missile, jointly developed with Israel, from a defence test facility off the Odisha coast.

The surface-to-air ballistic missile was successfully test fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) launch pad at Chandipur, said a defence official.

It was launched from a mobile launcher at about 10.15 a.m. from ITR launching complex-III in Balasore district.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is planning some more rounds of tests shortly, the official said.

The advanced missile is jointly designed and developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure.

The missile has the ability to hit targets within 70 km to 90 km radius. It is designed to defend against any airborne threat, apart from aircraft and helicopters, and can also intercept supersonic aircraft and missiles.

It is a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, weighing around 2.7 tonnes and is 4.5 metres in length.

The district administration had temporarily shifted over 3,500 people living within a 2.5 km radius of the test facility.